The Spider Strikes (The Web of the Spider #3)
Michael P. Spradlin
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published February 24, 2026
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About The Spider Strikes
Amid the chilling rise of Hitler’s Germany, a twelve-year-old boy and his friends confront rising Nazi threats during a family trip to Austria in this third book in the action-packed middle grade series Web of the Spider for fans of I Survived and A Night Divided.
It’s the summer of 1931 and, like most summers, Joshua and his family are vacationing in Salzburg, Austria. But unlike most years, Joshua is looking forward to escaping the upheaval and bigotry back home in Heroldsberg and the Nazi presence threatening Jewish families like his own. This year, he’s invited his best friends Rolf and Ansel to join him for one last summer before Rolf leaves for America with his father.
But the trip becomes far from relaxing as the Nazis take root in Austria as well, and a gang of Hitler Youth set their sights on Joshua and his friends. When the boys decide to hike up the mountains to camp out at Joshua’s family cabin, things go from bad to worse when they quickly realize they aren’t alone. Can the boys evade the Nazis and make it back to their families safely?
My Review
This is the third book in this quick-to-read series. I love how Spradlin breaks down events in Germany during the 1930s into very bite-sized chunks, making the story very accessible to young readers. The characters are pretty relatable. Each book in the series is from the perspective of a different boy in the friend group.
The main character, Joshua, is Jewish, and his family faces prejudice while on vacation in Austria. This highlights the spread of Nazi ideology, which the boys expected to be more restricted to Germany.
A lot of this story takes place in the woods while the boys are camping. I can’t say I’ve ever read anything about recreational camping in 1930s Germany before. That’s such an interesting combination. I wonder if the book will attract readers who enjoy outdoor stories as well as those looking for historical fiction.
All in all, I’ve enjoyed this timely series and really appreciate the gentle hand with which the author delivers these images of history to the page.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content
None.
Spiritual Content
Some characters are Jewish.
Violent Content
Situations of peril. Instances of bullying and prejudice. Instances of racism.
Drug Content
None.
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